Fire damages Lincoln triple-decker

Damage to the rear of 263 Front St. in Lincoln can be seen after a fire swept through the dwelling Sunday night. Photo/Joseph B. Nadeau

LINCOLN – It could be upwards of a month before residents are able to move back into a Front Street triple-decker that was heavily damaged by fire Sunday night, fire officials said yesterday.
Lonsdale Fire Chief Timothy Griffin said the 263 Front St. building sustained $75,000 to $100,000 in damages and that extensive repairs will be required before the seven tenants left homeless by the blaze are allowed back in.
All of the tenants are reportedly staying with family members, he said.
The fire was reported at about 9:30 p.m., and by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, it had engulfed the real first-floor porch of the triple-decker and swept up the back side of the building.
Griffin said the two-alarm fire, which was traced to a cigarette that had been left in a recycling bin behind the house, started on the first floor rear porch, traveled up a 15-x 15 addition on the first floor and then all the way up to the roof line.
“The whole back of the house was going from top to bottom,” Griffin said.
While most of the damage was to the back exterior of the building, the fire did spread through the walls and ceilings to the three apartments.
Firefighters spent about 30 minutes fighting the flames before bringing the fire under control.
“It was a quick knock-down,” the chief said.
There were no injuries to firefighters, but Griffin said the mother of one of the tenants, who had gone to the building after learning of the fire, tripped over one of the hoses and injured herself. Griffin said the injury was not serious.
There were approximately 40 firefighters on scene from Lincoln’s various fire districts, including Limerock, Albion, Manville and Quinnville.
Firefighters from Lonsdale were able to get to the fire scene quickly because the Lonsdale fire station is located only 100 yards away on Front Street.